Milestones: Rosalie
by Roses and Jazz
Summary: Artifacts from a life gone by trigger memories that Rosalie would sooner forget. The tale of the end of Rosalie's human life and the beginning of her vampire one, told in flashbacks.


Milestones: Rosalie Hale

Summary-Artifacts from a life gone by trigger memories that Rosalie would sooner forget. The tale of the end of Rosalie's human life and the beginning of her vampire one told in flashbacks. Each chapter is a different item and each item triggers a different memory. Some memories told out of order.

Chapter One: The Nightgown

"Well, gonna do a dance and it goes like this. The name of the dance is the peppermint twist," the music blared from across the hall. I didn't need Jasper to send me a shot of apathy to know that it would be better to ignore the sounds coming from the other room. "'Round and 'round, up and down. 'Round and 'round, up and down. Around and around, and a up and a down and a one, two, three kick! One, two, three, go!"

I sighed, pointing the remote control at the television and turning the volume up. Emmett was the one who had insisted on buying a TV for our room ("You never know when Edward's going to go psycho on us and break the one in the living room again. We need to be prepared for every eventuality," he had announced gravely.). I had opposed him at first, but I had to admit that the machine had its uses.

"It's allright, all night. It's allright," Alice's record player announced.

I shuddered slightly, tossing my hair over my shoulder and fixing my attention firmly on commercial flashing across the television screen. It featured a tanned model running down a beach, while a voiceover extolled the virtues of a certain brand of diet pills and a picture of a women who didn't look like she was even related to the model flashed up in the corner. I mused idly about how much I resembled the model. We had the same build, wavy golden hair-although I was almost certain that hers was nothing more than a clever dye job, and full lips. I still matched society's idea of perfection, except for the tan. I held my pale arm out in front of me and considered how it would look if I used some self-tanning lotion on it.

The bedroom door creaked open. "Rosie," a sly voice beckoned from behind me. I didn't need to turn around to know Emmett was leaning against the doorjamb and attempting a seductive smile.

I rolled my eyes. "No."

"Aw, come on," Emmett pleaded. He started to sing along with Alice and Jasper's record, "I wanna learn to do this - the peppermint twist." He valiantly attempted to do the twist, succeeding only in embarrassing himself and anyone who had ever danced the twist.

I pretended to mull it over for a second, then smiled sweetly and announced, "No."

Emmett grinned; the game was afoot. He leapt across the room and pounced on me, pinning me to the bed. The bedsprings creaked in protest but held. "Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" he interrogated me playfully. "My rockin' Rosie is always up for some action."

He lowered his head to kiss me, but I held him off. "Rockin' Rosie just isn't in the mood today, Teddy Bear," I pouted.

"It's been four...no, five days," Emmett said in a pained voice.

I made a show of sighing. "You're such a baby sometimes, Em," I drawled.

"A baby with some very adult cravings," Emmett clarified.

"Give me a few seconds to get ready."

Emmett was off the bed and at the dresser so quickly that even my eyes had trouble seeing him.

"Wear this," he ordered, tossing a silky garment at me and smiling ear to ear.

I smoothed out the rumpled piece of clothing. It was rose pink teddy-like nightgown. My index finger lazily traced the lace trim and my mind wandered, unbidden, over seventy years into the past. I saw the four floor hallway of a dingy apartment building. A young blonde woman stood by the door to the last apartment on the right and a man over ten years her senior stood across from her, waiting to see the reaction the young woman would have to the small, brown package she was opening.

"Now Mr. Lawson, I'm shocked," the girl said in a laughable parody of a southern accent. Her horror appeared to be as false as her drawl, but the young girl continued to cling to both. "This is hardly an appropriate birthday gift."

"I think it's perfect," the man smiled. His mouth seemed a little too wide, like a shark's, but the girl didn't seem to mind.

An almost identical smile spread across the girl's face and she did little to conceal it. She wasn't one tenth of the actress she thought she was. "You are much too forward, Mr. Lawson."

"That I am, Miss Hale," the man said unrepentantly. "Now scoot on inside and try your present on for me."

"My mother thinks you're corrupting me," the girl changed the subject.

The man brushed a lock of the woman's hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek. "Liar," he accused. "You haven't told your mother about me. Besides, you're twenty-five (His smile grew wider here, like he was laughing at some private joke.), you can make your own decisions."

"Twenty-five," the woman repeated hollowly. She shook her head as if to clear it, and reassumed her teasing, faux innocent demeanor. "If I were any sort of lady, I'd sent you home right this very minute."

"Good thing you're no lady," the man winked.

A sudden fit of anger overtook the young woman. "I don't like your insinuations, Mr. Lawson! I believe I shall send you home!"

The young woman turned to enter her apartment, but the man grabbed her wrist to stop her. "What if I refuse to go?" he challenged in a deadly whisper.

I pulled myself back to the present and my slightly puzzled looking, loving husband.

"Not that one," I declared. "Go get another one."

"Whatever my ragin' rumba roller-skate raspberry rockin' rollin' Rosie wants," Emmett sang nonsensically as he began twisting again. "As long as you're sure. It would look fantastic on you."

I smiled reassuringly at the big, strong teddy bear who had promised to love me, honor me, and protect me from all evil. "I'm sure. Not that one."

AN:// Thanks for sticking with me this far. If you could leave a review, that would be great. This is my first fic and I could really use the encouragement and constructive criticism. Don't worry, I'll explain what Rosalie was doing living on her own and pretending to be in her twenties, why she kept the teddy the ominous Mr. Lawson gave her all these years, how this fits into cannon, and most of the other mysteries raised in this and future chapters in due time.


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